As Twilight Travels
by nickdaman6
Summary: Embarking on her own journey, Twyla wishes to see the world that surrounds Hyrule. Visiting numerous places, she comes to meet several new faces, encounter a few old friends, and begin an adventure that will define her life. A collection of short stories that tell Twyla's journey. Sequel to True Bonds Never Break. Post Twilight Princess. Some LinkxIlia.
1. Prologue

**Hey y'all!**

**So, this is my second attempt at writing this story. This time, I took a different approach. I'll be writing a compilation of short stories that tell of Twyla's journeys in different regions outside of Hyrule. As well, I will be adding in journal entries to delve deeper into Twyla's character, and I will write letters that are being written back to Link and Ilia. Hope you guys like this idea and this prologue! Comment, review, critique, both positive and negative, thanks! Also recommend reading True Bonds Never Break, gives some information that could be useful in reading this! Enjoy the story, folks!**

**I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters, objects, creatures, etc. Nintendo owns all rights to this franchise**

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**Prologue**

It was morning, the air was crisp and cool. The sun was beginning to break through the clouds that covered it only moments ago. Animals and birds of all kinds were waking to begin the first day of spring. Trees and flowers were beginning to bloom and decorate Ordon Spring with magnificent hues of green foliage and colorful flowers. As the sky was finally rid of clouds, the sun shone brightly on the pool of clear, blue water that gave life to the Ordon region. Sitting along the edge of the spring was a young woman playing with her short, blonde hair reminiscent to the twilight sky.

Her feet, which were absent of the traveling boots by her side, were dancing in the shallow waters. While her feet were in the water, she was playing on a small ocarina. The Ordonian wood gave the ocarina a chestnut color to it and was carved to look like a soaring hawk. She fiddled with it, playing a few different songs, but always came back to the same tune it was meant for. The song, which she learned from her "Uncle" Rusl, was a very airy tune, switching between higher and lower notes that could remind one of a bird soaring on air currents.

Once she finished the short tune, an Ordonian hawk flew down onto a sturdy piece of arrow patterned leather on her shoulder. The hawk gave a cry of delight as his owner scratched along the arrow marking on his forehead.

His owner transferred him onto her right arm, which had a leather gauntlet on it that matched her leather shoulder pad in design. From the pouch on her side, she produced a few pieces of cooked meat. "Here you go, Yeager!" Her winged companion ruffled his brown feathers and cried in delight at the snack he received. Once he had his fill, he took off back into the sky, circling around the spring's clearing over and over again. The young woman just watched as her friend enjoyed their last moments at Ordon Spring.

Minutes later, a young woman with short blonde hair walked through the spring entrance, almost sadly so. She sighed, then called out to the young girl in front of her. "Twyla, it's time." Twyla turned to see her mom, Ilia, who donned a solemn smile. "Your father has the horses packed and fed."

Quickly, Twyla jumped to her feet, struggling to put her traveling boots on at the same time. Once her boots were on, Yeager flew onto Twyla's shoulder and she walked over to her mother. From there, they both exited Ordon Spring to the clearing right outside the spring's entrance. A mass of people were grouped together in the clearing, waiting to give Twyla one last good-bye.

Some wore smiles on their faces, happy to see Twyla embark on her journey. Not so much happy that she was leaving, but the fact that she would fulfill her dream. Others had tears threatening to fall from their eyes. Amongst them, some already had tears slowly streaming down their faces, sad to see their lifelong friend leave. Most, however, felt equal share of these emotions. They wore smiles on their faces, sad smiles if one looked carefully, and had sadness in their eyes.

In the middle of the group of people awaited Twyla's father, Link. Alongside him were two brown mares. The one closest to Link, which was his horse, had a simple night roll on her saddle and a quiver of arrows with a bow holstered in it, tied to the roll. The horse behind Link's, on the other hand, had two packs on her side, each filled to the brim with supplies. Next to her legs was a satchel that was also close to overflowing. Finally, on her saddle was a thicker sleep roll with a small feather filled pillow encased within.

In turn, Twyla came to every person who was there to see her off. She bid good-bye to the villagers of Ordon Village, giving drawn out hugs to Uli, Rusl, and many of the other villagers. Then, she came to Lilith, Rusl and Uli's daughter and Twyla's childhood friend, Lilith. Tears could be seen in her eyes, threatening to streak down her cheek at any moment.

Lilith made an attempt to smile and be happy for her friend, seemingly failing at the same time. "W-well, I guess…" she had to collect herself before she could continue. "I guess this is good-bye?"

A warm smile came to Twyla's face, prompting Lilith to break out of her melancholy. "Good-bye? No. This isn't good-bye…" Twyla couldn't keep her happy composure anymore and broke down, as did Lilith. "It's 'until next time'…" Both friends lost control of themselves and held the other in a tight hug, never wanting Twyla to leave. Tears fell down and began to stain the Ordonian garments that both girl's wore, while blending in with the pieces of blue that decorated their clothing. It felt like minutes had passed before they broke apart.

When they did, Lilith spoke through her small sobs. "Just… Just promise you-you'll visit, soon. Okay?"

Twyla pulled back amidst the choking up and wet tears. She wiped her tears away and replied, "Of course. As soon as I can." The smile they both shared a few moments ago reappeared, though it still had a hint of sadness added to it. Once she was finished speaking to Lilith and the villagers, she went over to her father and mother, who were accompanied by Bo, Renado, and Telma.

Renado and Telma were next to each other. It could be easily seen that one had feelings for the other as Telma's arm was tightly wound around Renado's. A few signs of discomfort and embarrassment could be seen in the shaman's face, but Telma either didn't notice or seemed not to care. Probably the latter, since someone like her, flirty and always getting what she wants, tended to only pay attention to what she wanted to see.

As Twyla approached them, Telma finally let go of Renado's arm, much to his relief. She swept the young Ordonian up in her arms, nearly crushing her. After a few more moments, and several gasping breaths, Twyla was finally released from the bear hug that had encased her inside the woman's arms and bosom. It was a loving hug, one that should the bond between the two, but it was tough love being shown.

Telma placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders as Renado came up to their side. "I'm going to miss you so much, honey." Tears were falling anew from both woman's faces. Telma turned her attention to Twyla's neck. "I see you still have the pendant I gave you", Telma said with a smile.

Around Twyla's neck hung a small, silver triforce attached to a simple piece of string. It was a reminder of the time she and her father had visited Castle Town those many years ago. As its owner looked at it, smells and sights of the bustling town entered her mind. Staying at Telma's and swapping stories, buying a small bow and quiver from Malo, and just enjoying the childhood that anyone would gladly wish to have. It was a simple time that Twyla enjoyed immensely.

She was brought back into the present and looked on at Telma. "Of course, I wouldn't go anywhere without my lucky necklace." Both smiled warmly as Twyla said this. It was the young woman's turn to take her friend into her arms. "I'm going to miss you, Auntie Telma."

Once they separated, Renado, who was dressed in white holy robes, put his hand on Twyla's shoulder. She knelt in respect. "And goddesses watch over this young woman's travels. Bless her journey and her path, her wisdom and her courage, and her luck and her will." The blessing was an old one, being passed down from shaman to shaman. It protected the person's journey and allowed them to travel with ease. However, many people didn't know this blessing, lost to time as the need for traveling to faraway lands became less and less. "But most importantly, goddesses, protect her from all things evil and cruel that would bring any harm to this child." As he finished the blessing, Twyla came back to her feet and gave Renado a hug.

"Thank you, Renado. And thank you for your lessons on the goddesses."

A smile adorned his face. "Of course, my child. All should know of the goddesses, and I'm glad it was I that taught you about them." They released from the hug and Telma and Renado retreated into the group of people. Both became inseparable once again, as Telma put an iron-locked grip around the shaman's arm. Now, it was time for her family. She turned towards them.

Bo was behind Twyla's mother, holding her shoulders and comforting her. Both showed signs of tears that had already fallen from their now puffed, red faces. It broke Twyla's heart a little, seeing her grandfather and mother like this. However, adventure called out to her. Seeing new things, visiting new places, journeying to forbidden dungeons, that's what was waiting for her. Of course, most of this was romanticized in her head, but the chance that anything could happen was enough to make one take it.

Bo was the first to speak to Twyla. Through uncontrollable tears, he picked his granddaughter up into his massive arms. It was just like many other times when Twyla was hurt or sad and he would pick her up. Being tossed into the air and quickly forgetting about the troubles that had caused the distress in the first place. A protective grandfather always watching over his beloved granddaughter. "T-take care of yourself out there," the mayor of Ordon Village said in between violent sobs. "Come back to us in one piece!"

Twyla laughed at the big man who was her grandfather was crying without cease. "I will, I promise. Just as long as you take care of mom and dad."

"Don't worry, kiddo. I will." Before he could say anything more, Ilia came to his side. Bo took this as a sign that it was Ilia's turn, and left, quite sadly, to join the group of people seeing his granddaughter off.

Twyla came up to her mother and was immediately wrapped in her loving embrace. Memories the two shared appeared in both of their heads. Flashes of first moments, joyful parties, and peaceful times went through their minds. Several instances of fighting and making up were brought into place. Times of love and sadness passed in front of their closed eyes. Ilia wished they could be like this forever, remembering and reliving again and again. But both of them knew that Twyla had to go.

As tears flowed freely from their blue eyes, they said their good-byes. "Twyla," her mother began. "You have grown into a beautiful and strong woman, I couldn't be more proud of you. You know, you're just like your father." A small laughed came out of her sad smile. "So adventurous, so strong, so brave. I'm gonna miss you, my little girl."

"I'm gonna miss you too, mom. I'll write to when I can, okay?" Twyla sniffed away the last of her tears.

Finally, the mother and daughter pulled apart. "Okay, I'll be looking forward to it." Her mother went up to her father and fell into his embrace. They whispered a few things back and forth, saying things only meant for the other to hear. Once finished, they gave each other a long, loving kiss. Then, Ilia retreated into the group, sadly joining her father. He wrapped one of his massive arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder, comforting both of them in this saddening, but joyous, occasion.

Then, Twyla came up to her father, who stood proudly before her with a smile on his rugged face. "Are you ready to go, sweetie?"

Twyla gave a solemn nod, sad to leave everyone behind, but ready to take her next step on the ever changing road called life. "Yes, dad. I'm ready." She picked up the pack by her horse, then swiftly mounted the proud beast. Her father followed suit and both turned to exit the only home Twyla had ever known. As they crossed the creaking bridge, they turned around and waved good-bye to the group of on-lookers, seeing several wet faces and hearing the many blessings and wishes coming from the only family Twyla had ever known.

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The sun was now setting. It bid farewell to the world its rays warmed, as it had many a time before. The red color coming from it was slowly beginning to disappear beyond the horizon. Creatures big and small retreated to their homes as night began to take over Hyrule. The moon began to take the sun's place as the sky was silently changing from hues of orange, red, and yellow, into a blue, dark sea of stars. Light still poured forth into the world, shining on a small entrance into a gloomy forest.

Along the outskirts of Hyrule was a forest. This forest, it was said, was so thick that the penetrating light of the sun was but a faint glow along the forest floor. Even with this appearance, however, many travelers and merchants used it to leave Hyrule and visit the once mysterious Termina. A legend, passed down through the ages, tells of the Hero of Time once visiting this forest and traveling to Termina, but he was never heard from again. Some believed he stayed there, living the life of a famed hero in paradise. However, most believed that he died while traveling to the mysterious land. But now, it was a clear path to another area of the world, one that many took. This was Twyla's first destination.

Outside of the forest, she and her father stopped. Both jumped off of their horses and went towards the other. This was where they would say good-bye.

"So," Link started, trying to keep the trembling in his voice hidden from his daughter. "I guess it's time."

"Yeah," Twyla began nervously. "I guess so…"

Link smiled and embraced his beloved daughter. Nothing made him happier than to see her leave to explore the world and all of its splendors. He was still scared, however, fearing that she may never return or that she may get hurt. Those fears were quickly subsided, as he knew Twyla would be just fine. She was brave, determined and would never give up, there was nothing he needed to worry about.

They pulled apart, tears threatening to fall from Link's eyes, but streaming down Twyla's face steadily. "Here, I have something for you." Link turned to his horse and untied the bow and quiver from his sleeping roll. He came up to Twyla and extended the gift to her. "You'll need something to protect you."

Twyla stared in awe, never believing that her father would part from such a beautiful weapon. Reluctantly, she reached out and took hold of her father's bow. When she had it in her hands, all she could do was stare at it. "Well, go ahead. Put it on." Link urged his daughter with his hands.

She tied the quiver onto the blue piece of leather around her waist, feeling the now added weight. She drew back the bow and played with the string for a few moments, getting used to its feeling again. Memories came to her of times when she and her father would practice shooting targets. Eventually, when Twyla became a master at the bow, the two of them would compete to see who was better. Of course, with Link's experience, he won most of the time, but they were still memories Twyla held dear to her heart.

She sheathed the bow into the quiver and turned back to her father. "Dad… I-I can't thank you enough."

His smile continued. "You don't need to. As long as you have that bow, I'll know you're safe." Yeager squawked from Twyla's shoulder at the old Hylian. Link and Twyla chuckled. "Of course, I know Yeager will protect you from any danger, as well." He scratched under the hawk's wing and received an acknowledging, happy cry in return.

Then, he turned to his daughter. His tone turned to one of seriousness. "Listen, just be careful out there. I don't want anything to happen to you." This was when his parental side would come out: anytime Twyla could possibly be in danger.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll be careful." A reassuring smile appeared on Twyla's face, as did one on Link's. He knew his daughter would be alright, but his fatherly side sometimes got the better of him.

One last time, they hugged each other. Then, Twyla and Yeager got on her horse and bid farewell to her father as she slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, entered the dark forest. She looked back and waved, leaving behind the only life she ever knew. Leaving behind the only land she ever lived on. But most importantly, she was leaving her family behind for the first time. She was eager to see what fate had in store for her as the tall, brooding trees swallowed her being, until she was gone.

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**Hope this was a good introduction, guys! I will probably start writing the next chapter soon! Again, this is gonna be a collection of short stories, but it will be a tale about Twyla's journeys. Hope you guys like this idea!**

**Stay tuned, until next time y'all, peace! Thank ya kindly for reading :)**


	2. The Lost Woods Part 1

**Hey y'all!**

**Next chapter is up! And I was eager to write, as can be told by how fast I put it out haha. And I'm posting at 12:00 AM… Late times, again… Fuck… So, this chapter well be a pretty good read, or so I think. I hope you guys think the same thing as well! Again, this is pretty much going to be a collection of short stories, so I'll label chapters by location and parts, such as the example below! And… I bet you guys just want to get to the story… Right, then. Comment, critique, and review please, it really helps me out as a writer. Enjoy the story, folks!**

**I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters, objects, creatures, etc. Nintendo owns all rights to this franchise**

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**The Lost Woods Part 1**

"Alright, Yeager. I'll admit it, you're right. We're lost." A heavy, tired sigh followed this confession.

Twyla rode through the dark, immense forest known as the Lost Woods at a slow trot. For the past three days she had been doing so, taking turn after turn in trying to find the right route to Termina. The route proved more difficult to find than the traveling pair had once thought. What had meant to be a two day journey had turned into a traveler's tale of a little girl being lost in the woods and, unknowingly, heading to her doom. Or that's what Twyla thought this would turn into, but her mind romanticized and over exaggerated many situations she came into contact with.

Besides, she knew she wasn't in too much danger. The fact of the matter was that she could handle herself. With the bow her father had given her, she could fend off a small group of bandits. Add Yeager in to the mix, she could disperse a fierce group of Wolfos. It made the journey feel a lot less treacherous than it actually seemed, which comforted Twyla immensely. Though, the fact that she and Yeager were still lost troubled her slightly. Being in such a darkened, gloomy forest where little light reached through the towering trees made Twyla want to leave the forest even more.

Yeager cawed in triumph at his victory. Twyla turned her head towards her shoulder, and flicked the bird on his beak. "Humph, well it isn't much of a win. That means we actually _are _lost!" Yeager bowed his head down sullenly, agreeing with the words that came from Twyla's mouth.

Sighing heavily again, and feeling bad for yelling at her feathered friend, the Ordonian scratched Yeager's forehead. A small motion of comfort, such as this, erased any worry that the young hawk had. Being with such a capable companion as Twyla, they would find a way out of the wretched forest sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, as they were beginning to run out of supplies and would need to restock as quickly as possible. Once the thought appeared in their heads, both of their stomach's growled in anticipation of some sort of meal. Twyla let out a short laugh as both she and her companion's stomachs alerted them to their need for food.

"I guess we'll need to make camp soon," Twyla confessed to the sky above.

A glance up at the sky also made it clear that the group would need to stop soon, very soon. The small rays of light that permeated the vast darkness in the Lost Woods were beginning to ebb away. Tiny creatures, who were weak and could not stand the darkness, scurried up the massive, looming trees. Other creatures, whether they were animals or not, Twyla wasn't sure, began to scurry through the bushes and stalk their quarry. Red, threatening eyes began to appear in the trees from time to time and shaking from the branches above could easily be heard. Though it sounded unlike an animal, Twyla didn't know exactly what, or who, it was.

A threatened and worried caw came from Yeager, alerting Twyla to the danger he sensed. At the same time, Twyla's horse, Amber, began to neigh in alarmed pitches and move about in a startled manner. Both kept acting in such a way until their human companion put a comforting hand along Amber's flank and Yeager's wing. "Shh, everyone. Be calm", she cooed softly. "I hear it, too. We'll find out what's following us sooner or later." Her voice was but an audible whisper, meant to be heard only by the two animals traveling with her.

A few moments later, the small group came to a clearing that looked oddly different compared to the rest of the forest. It was more of an alcove created inside a hollowed out tree trunk than a clearing. Everything that had made the walls of the alcove was a tree that had all but disappeared, save for the walls themselves. Inside it was a small field of grass and several gatherings of healthy, green shrubs and bushes. Near the eastern part of the wall was a stump, bigger than most stumps that must have given birth to a huge tree at some point, but it was brought down by loggers or some sort of natural means. Finally, on the northern most point of the wall was a small tunnel carved out of a wooden log, big enough to fit a person and the horse they were riding on. However, it was dark and one could not see through to the other side of the tunnel. Once Twyla was finished examining the wooden alcove, she took the group over to the intact stump, judging that would be a good place as any to rest for the night.

Once Twyla dismounted Amber, she led the trio over to the stump that would be their shelter for the night. After securing Amber's reign to a small branch extending from the wooden base, and putting Yeager on duty to watch over their supplies, Twyla went to gather wood for a fire. She didn't walk very far, just amongst the shrubs and bushes in the alcove. As well, wood was not hard to find as the decaying wood from the massive dead tree they were in would serve as excellent fuel.

With a handful of twigs, wood, and kindling, Twyla went back to the stump and laid all of her supplies down. Within moments, she had a seamless fire made and ready to light. It took a few tries, but eventually the fire caught and gave off a warm, comforting feel.

At this point, Twyla pulled out some dried Ordon goat jerky for her and Yeager, while also retrieving an apple to give to Amber as a snack. Being around these two animals gave Twyla an immense feeling of companionship, true, but she missed having a person to actually talk to. It had been days since they last saw any sign of human life, and that was just a greedy, oddly dressed, green man who claimed to be a fairy. The man offered them a map of the Lost Woods, followed by some weird hand movements and him going "LOOPAH", but Twyla declined. Though now, she wished that she had bought the map when she could have.

By this time, the forest was completely pitch black, no stars or moon could be seen through the canopy above. Rustling around the area could be heard from said canopies, keeping Twyla on edge and ready to defend herself. She kept her bow by her side and was laying on her pillow, writing in her journal. About an hour later, sleep began to slowly creep over her body, bidding her to rest her weary eyes. Eventually, she conceded and put her journal and her necklace in the knapsack next to her. With the eerie, rustling noises of the forest and the popping crackles of the fire echoing throughout the alcove, Twyla drifted off to sleep.

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A figured jumped from the trees that made up the sky of the Lost Woods. He peered at the girl laying in front of the stump, the same one he had been following for the past day. His red-eyed masked scanned the area, making sure there was nothing that the young woman could use against him, that is if he woke her up. Satisfied with seeing nothing, and with seeing the animals and her asleep, the thief silently snuck towards the trunk, allowing his black clothing to seemingly blend him in with the darkness.

Creeping quietly, as to not make a noise, the creeping man looked around the trunk to see what valuables his unaware victim had. He eyed the horse, thinking it would fetch a great price, but how was he supposed to transport it? Too big. He examined the hawk. Brown feathers, arrow markings, tamed, perfect to fence as a pet. Though, if he took the hawk, it would cause too much of a ruckus. No dice, either. Then, his red eyes spotted a small knapsack next to the cooling embers of a fire. Possible valuables, big enough to hold some sort of trinket at least. Yes, simple in-and-out, then he'd be gone without a single yawn from the girl.

Under his black, red-eyed mask, the man smiled greedily. A small whisper emitted from his hidden mouth. "Jackpot."

Once he reached the stump, he slowly made his way around the sleeping girl. As he did, he stared at her, using the remains of her fire to note the details of her body. Slim, athletic, and not too voluptuous in either departments. She couldn't be no more than twenty, he guessed. Then, he switched his gaze to her face. A pretty face, something that was rare around these parts. Blonde wisps of hair, that had the color of twilight, came down to hide her eyes ever so slightly. All in all, the thief was in slight awe at the beauty he saw before him.

'If only…' he thought. 'Oh well, her valuables are a good consolation prize.' He snickered in his mind as to not wake the quiet sleepers.

This was futile, however, as when he reached towards her bag, he heard the familiar sounds of an arrow being drawn. He turned his head towards the previously sleeping young woman… And subsequently the arrow that was greeting him. "Oh, um… Hey," he let out meekly.

"I knew someone was following us!" From what the thief could see, the girl did not look happy. Who could blame her? He was stealing her stuff.

With all the commotion going on, her two animal companions awoke from their sleep. All the thief could hear was panicked cawing and neighing for a few moments. Eventually, they stopped, heeding the command of their owner no doubt. Once they calmed, the marksman turned her attention back to her captive.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Um… Well, can't a nice guy, like myself, offer to give a damsel in distress a helping hand?" This was a futile cover-up, and the thief knew it, but he tried his luck anyways. If worse came to worse, which it would, he could still easily take knapsack without any personal injury.

"Oh, well isn't that sweet of you." The thief's sarcasm was met with an equal remark. He liked her already. "But I think I can handle myself, thank you."

"Well you never know what kind of creeps could be hanging out in these woods. Thought I'd scare them off for you."

"Right, creeps. You wouldn't happen to be one these 'creeps', would you?" It seemed the girl was having fun with the sarcasm match between the two of them.

"Creep? Me? No, no, no. I'm just, uh… Just an opportunist and a good guy, that's, um… That's all." As he spoke, the thief tried to slowly creep his hands towards his goal, but quickly forgot about the idea as his quarry drew her bow back further.

"D-don't even think about it. Now, you b-back off and return to whatever hole you crawled out from and stay there. Okay?!" The thief could tell that the idea of her shooting an arrow at another human made her nervous and seemed completely impossible. Someone like this shaking young woman couldn't kill him even if she wanted to, which she did.

Deciding against calling her bluff, he continued along with the ruse that she was completely in charge of the situation. After all, he still hadn't introduced himself. "Now, you see, I can't really do that without the goods, um… Um…" He snapped his fingers, like he was trying to bring something back into his mind. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't and why should I tell you my name?"

"Oh, you know, it's just common courtesy. Don't have to be rude, here."

"I'm the one being rude? Uh huh, right. Okay, here's a deal I can make with you; you tell me your name I tell you mine."

"Oh come on, that doesn't seem fair. I mean, I did ask-" The thief was cut short as the arrow pointed towards him was drawn back even further. "Okay, okay! Fine, geez. I'm Aston, fence and thief extraordinaire. Now, who might this pretty lady be in front of me?"

The girl blushed in response to his "compliment" given to her. "S-shut up!" Her voice stuttered from the situation again, but she quickly regained control of it. "I'm Twyla. Now, I'm gonna ask you, again: back off or this arrow is going through your red-eye."

"Oh, now, again, I can't do that. I need these goods, so I think I'll still take them. It was nice chatting with you, Twyla!"

Before Twyla could even react, the thief took something from his belt and threw it at the ground, covering the encampment in smoke. Twyla could barely breathe and was hacking and coughing through the grey cloud. Moments, later it disappeared, as did the thief with it. Once her breath was caught, Twyla looked around for the thief, and noticed her knapsack was missing.

"No… No, not my knapsack! That had most of my rupees, and my necklace, my journal, my ocarina…" Twyla almost fell down into tears, but instead slammed her fist into the ground. "Oh! I'm- I'm... Ugh! I'm gonna get that thief! Where'd he go?!"

She looked around the area some more, and noticed foot prints leading towards the wooden tunnel. A grin covered her face. "Not as subtle as you thought, huh?" Twyla sheathed her bow inside her quiver and quickly mounted Amber. "Come on, Yeager!" She put her horse on a full sprint as Yeager cawed in anger and followed them.

When she came through to the other side of the tunnel, the group entered another clearing. This one was similar to the alcove she was staying in, except it had three stumps, much like the one they camped near. However, these ones were raised almost like a stairway, which led towards another tunnel carved into, what looked like, a massive tree. Over by the tunnel, Twyla could see the thief trying to escape.

Without a moment of hesitation, she quickly commanded Amber to follow him. It was difficult, but thanks to some riding drills with her father, Twyla was able to jump from stump to stump up to the tunnel. She slowed down to a fast trot, allowing her horse to rest momentarily. They entered the tunnel.

When they came out of the other side, they saw something they weren't expecting at all. A twisted hallway with trees covering the walls greeted them. On the other side of the hallway was a stone doorway of some sort that was upside down. As the group approached the doorway, they also slowly turned upside down, which was slightly nauseating. After going through the doorway, they found themselves in, what appeared to be, a building.

Several rusted cogs, pieces of nature, and amounts of debris decorated the eerie man-made structure. In the middle of said structure was a water mill being pushed by a small stream that ran under it. Twyla and her companions made their way over the small, wooden ramp that led to another, higher up, section of the building. The upper section of the building was almost completely bare, save for the pole of the water mill sticking up through the stone floor and the stone steps leading up to a massive wooden door.

As the trio approached the second floor, Twyla dismounted Amber and tied her to the railing of the wooden ramp. Yeager took this opportunity to place himself on Twyla's shoulder as well.

As they approached the stone stairway leading to the door, Twyla noticed something on the ground. She kneeled down to get a closer look at it. Then, realizing what it was, Twyla smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "My… My necklace…" She picked up the small triforce trinket and tied it around her neck, feeling more complete with it than she had before. "At least I found you."

Her attention then turned to the massive door in front of her and Yeager. There was no doubt, the thief had to be somewhere behind this door. If that was the case, then Twyla most likely had him cornered and she could easily take back what was rightfully hers. Happy to know that this misfortune was over, she opened the massive door and was ready to take on whatever awaited her on the other side.

What was revealed beyond the door, however, disheartened Twyla. Being blinded by a bright light, momentarily, Twyla could hear nothing but the sounds of people and merchants selling their wares. 'No, this can't be…' But it was, and as Twyla slowly regained her sight, she became even more disheartened as her eyes laid upon a market place full of merchants, soldiers, and objects of value. With the thief nowhere to be found.

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**Alright, before anyone yells at me for this, I did change the entrance to Termina just a little bit. I figured it was better that way so that Amber could stay with the group, which I will be needing her for future plotlines in this short story. Otherwise, I hope you guys found everything to your liking! It was a good chapter to write, as it always is good to write!**

**Stay tuned, until next time y'all, peace! Thank ya kindly for reading :)**


	3. Termina Part 1

**Hey y'all!**

**Next chapter is here! I'm sorry it took me so long, but getting back into the swing of things at college has kept me very busy. Though, I have definitely become more inspired by being up in Colorado. Hopefully I can get more chapters written faster! So, as to not keep you guys waiting, he's the next chapter! Please leave any critiques, comments, reviews, etc., both negative and positive, it helps me write better that way! Enjoy the story, folks!**

**I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters, objects, creatures, etc. Nintendo owns all rights to this franchise**

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**Termina Part 1**

The bustling town was quite an uplifting change from the dark, depressing woods that had just been left behind. But not being able to find the thief who took her knapsack, Twyla wasn't able to enjoy the multitude of smells and sights that came at her from every direction. Though, it still overwhelmed her, being able to finally be in town bigger than her village again. As well, Yeager became consumed by the sights and noises being caused by the town. Being the free range animal that he was, he became startled, throwing feathers and scared caws in every direction. Soon enough, the confused predator almost flew off of his partner's shoulders, wanting to feel the openness of the blue sky and the blowing wind upon his beak. Quickly, Twyla moved to calm her frenzied, feathered companion.

"Yeager! Yea-Yeager!" Having to pull him back down and hold him uncomfortably, Twyla looked straight into his animalistic eyes. "You can't fly too high without the ocarina, how am I supposed to call you otherwise? Listen, I know this is no place for you, but you're gonna have to stay calm. Once we get my knapsack back, you can fly around as much as you want, alright?"

A disheartened cry came from the flightless hawk. Solemnly he found his way back to Twyla's shoulders, bowing his head down in depression. Never had this majestic flyer felt so caged in his life. He stared up enviously at the birds sailing above the duo in the vast, endless sky. Freedom of flight eluded him, and it hurt him more than anything ever had. Seeing her partner like this hurt the young Ordonian as well. She gently stroked his bound wings.

"Hey, we'll find him soon. Don't worry." A disgruntled frown mirrored the feelings her companion. She turned to the small pouch on her side and pulled out a piece of dried jerky, trying another method to bring her friend out of his melancholy. "Here Yeager, this should make you feel better. Dried goat meat, your favorite!"

Still hurt by the reality he was in momentarily, the bird shot a quick glance at the meat. Certainly it would brighten up his mood, and certainly it did. He snatched the meat quickly from the girl's hand and hungrily tore at with his beak and talons.

Twyla smiled at the brightened mood her companion was now in. "There, that's better Yeager." While Yeager tore away at his food, his generous friend continued to stroke his wings. Then, she turned her attention to the market in front of her, to be met with a discomforting sight.

Several people had stopped what they were doing to examine the stranger and her animal friend's small confrontation. Many had questioning glances on their faces, wondering who these two newcomers were. Merchants close by looked at the bird greedily. No one had seen a hawk such as that before, and wondered if his owner was willing to sell, for a modest sum of course. Then, they could turn it into double the profit. Though, the more the young traveler interacted with her companion, the more they realized that it wasn't going to happen. Kids looked on in awe at the girl's mastery over the landed bird. Some even grabbed the shirts of their parents, begging for a pet such as the hawk they saw. Once Twyla turned her gaze upon them, however, most people focused their attention back on their own business, acting like nothing had happened, and began to scatter around the marketplace once more.

With that odd show of hospitality, Twyla and Yeager made their way into the market, slowly blending with the crowd. The first thing they saw was a rather big, golden colored flower. Growing up in the Ordon region, Twyla had seen many types of plants, but not one such as this. Her curiosity compelled her to go examine the plant growing in such an odd habitat. As she approached the flower, she heard an abrupt "HEY!" Twyla turned her gaze towards the direction the voice was coming from, only to see, what looked like, a flying root.

"THAT'S MY SPOT! GET AWAY FROM IT YOU-YOU PESKY WOMAN!" The root kept yelling at the "pesky" woman as he descended closer to the out-of-place flower. Once above it, the root hovered in midair, then dove down feet first into the golden plant. Seconds later, it popped its head out of the aforementioned flower, startling both Twyla and Yeager.

"Listen, you thief! This is my spot to sell my wares as I deem fit! I won't have anyone snatch it away from me!" Twyla ignored most of what it said, staring at the strange creature instead, wondering what it was. "And further more-"

"Um, sorry, sir, but what are you?" Impatiently, Twyla broke through the living plant's rant. She had to know what she was talking to.

"Pardon me?! "What am I"?!" His tone didn't get any better, turning from belittling, snobbish bickering to angered, insulted yelling.

"Yeah, what are you?" Twyla didn't miss a beat, too curious for her own good to notice how the plant was acting.

"Well, I never…! IF you must know I am a Deku Scrub merchant of the proud Deku Tribe!" The snobbery continued.

Twyla cocked her head to one side. "Huh, a Deku Scrub? Never heard of those before." The girl questioning the Deku Scrub said this nonchalantly, but he took as an insult, if anything.

"Never heard of…?! Are you mad?! I just said there is an entire tribe of us! How can you not know what we are?!"

"Well, I'm not from around here."

At this, the Deku Scrub calmed a little. "Hmph. Well I guess that explains why you don't know of us, andwhy you wear such strange clothes around Clock Town. It looks like you belong on a ranch."

Whether or not that was an insult to her being, Twyla didn't know. However, she wanted to diffuse the situation, so she took it as a simple observation and calmed Yeager down in the process who took it as an insult to her. "Thanks for the observation? I actually did work at my town's ranch with my father back home, now that you mention it."

"Yes, yes, we all have a home, eh? Now, if you're done telling me your life story, I see customers lining up behind you to peruse my variety of goods!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-" Twyla turned to apologize to the waiting customers behind her, though they seemed to be imaginary. She turned back to the Deku Scrub merchant. "Hey, I don't see any customers!"

"There are customers everywhere! There, there, and over there! Look all around!" The merchant emphasized his point by throwing his arms around in every direction, addressing the people walking throughout the market place. "Now, unless you have something valuable to trade for this spot, our business is concluded, thief. Good day!" The plant-like creature returned under the golden flower it guarded ever so cautiously, leaving Twyla still confused.

"Well, that was… interesting. Huh, Yeager?" The hawk cried in agreement as the duo left the golden flower to explore the town some more. Not giving their encounter much of a second thought, the duo left the southern part of Clock Town to look around some other areas. Twyla liked bigger cities, of course, but she wasn't much for being crowded next to so many people. The marketplace was as crowded as it could get. As they approached the northern gateway out of South Clock Town, the crowds began to gradually thin out, until there was a small stream of three or four other people.

Once Twyla had made it through the passage way, she was pleasantly surprised at what she and Yeager beheld. In front of her was, what seemed to be, a park. At the left end of the park was a stairway leading to a cave, where it led to was yet to be determined. The pathway continued onto a risen hill that had a wooden fence around it. Below that hill was a single tree that looked less than healthy and to the duo's right was a decrepit, dirty slide that had seen better days. In front of the slide was an almost exact replica of the tree below the hill, just as healthy, if not worse, than its brother. Finally, there were two gateways, one opposite of Twyla and the other to right next to the derelict playground, both leading out of North Clock Town.

A smile came to Twyla's face. 'Finally,' she thought 'some sort of nature in this city.' She breathed deeply and walked along the dirt path in front of her. Before she could even enjoy it, however, she heard a familiar "LOOPAH!" Past the tree in front of the slide, she saw the same small, green suited "fairy" from the Lost Woods.

At the moment, he was handing off maps to a couple of strangers, not paying attention to anything else but his business. With him distracted, Twyla thought about using one the passage ways to leave undetected, not wanting to deal with his crazy dance and claims of being a fairy. Though, last time she did that, she ended up lost in the Lost Woods. It would probably be a good idea to get a map of Clock Town, and, if possible, a map of the outside area, wherever they were. Reluctantly, once the map maker had finished his business, she went over and tapped him on the shoulder.

As he turned around, the green "fairy" jumped up in joy at seeing a familiar face. "Ah! If it isn't my friend from the Lost Woods! I'm surprised you found your way without one of my maps!"

"Yeah," Twyla rubbed her shoulder uncomfortably. "I'm just as surprised…"

"Oh, well it is marvelous to see you, again! By the way, I do not believe I received your name last time we met." He stuck his hand out, presumably for Twyla to shake it. "I'm Tingle! Cartographer and fairy!"

Reluctantly, Twyla shook his hand and hesitantly gave him her name. "I'm Twyla."

"Well, Twyla! Now that you're here, would you like to by a map of this area?"

"Yes, that would be great. And could I possibly get a map of the region outside of Clock Town? I don't exactly know where we are."

"Of course! And we are in Termina, didn't you know Clock Town is _the _city around here?"

'Termina?' Twyla thought to herself with surprise on her face. 'I had thought maybe this was it, but I didn't actually think we got here so quickly. It only took us three days, where it should have taken us a week…' She brought her hand to her chin and began to ponder how her and her animal companions could have made it through to the far away land so quickly. As realization dawned on her that there could only by one answer, she thought out loud, almost yelling. "We used the same passage way the Hero of Time first used!" The young Ordonian could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of using the same passage the famed hero had used oh so long ago.

"Ah, so you used _the _passage. That's hardly used nowadays, people preferring the direct path through the Southern Swamp." He went about scribbling two maps of Clock Town and Termina as he spoke. "Though, if you would have bought a map from Tingle the Fairy, you wouldn't have been lost now, hm?"

"Yeah, you're… probably right." Twyla's excitement vanished as she tried to deal with the "fairy" with a calm composure. 'There has to be something wrong with this man,' she spoke inwardly to herself.

"Well, I have your maps drawn up, now that will be… 55 rupees! Cheap, yes? A discount for my friend from the Lost Woods! He handed the two maps to said friend, while she handed him the rupees. "Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah!" As Tingle spoke the weird chant, he threw sparkling, green dust in the air, getting it all over himself, Twyla, and Yeager.

"Um… thanks, Tingle…" Twyla began to rid herself of the dust and Yeager shook his whole body to relieve himself of it quickly.

"Of course, friend! By the way, don't think of stealing my magic words, I did create them, after all!" Pride filled his voice as he said this. "Now, I must return to searching for my very own fairy companion! Call again!" With that, the impish, green clothed man pulled a string attached to his backpack. From the backpack came a red balloon that easily carried the small man up into the sky, allowing him to float away from Clock Town.

"Another weird encounter. Do you think anyone is somewhat normal in this town, Yeager?" Twyla's feathered friend replied with an unsure cry, not sure what to believe in anymore.

After her encounter, Twyla turned her head to the two passageways out of North Clock Town. Ahead, she saw a guard donned in dull, gray chainmail watching over the passage, which most likely meant that way led out of Clock Town all together. So, the two companions made their way through the passage to their right.

Going through the passageway, they found another square that was smaller than the marketplace, but resembled it in a way. This area was quickly explored as Twyla saw neither hide nor hair of the thief, Aston, from the Lost Woods. She made her way down a stairway that led to another square in similar design to the former one with a simple, tall wooden poll jutting out from the middle and having banners of flags extending from it. She examined the area, spotting an assortment of mini-games, including a bomb-chu game, a treasure maze, and a shooting gallery, which Twyla noted she would have to try later. Finally, she noticed the inn that was right next to the stairway she had just walked down.

It was an ordinary inn it seemed. The one distinguishing feature it did have was a giant bell on top of it, which was most likely used to raise the residents of the inn in the morning. Knowing it was a good place to stay for the night, as well as a good place to ask about any leads involving her thief, Twyla elected to enter the inn.

Entering the modest inn, Twyla looked around, noticing the simple decorations that dotted the establishment. Her attention turned to the desk, where a red-haired teenage boy was playing a lute. His attention was completely turned to the wooden instrument, back facing the door, as he ignored Twyla when she entered the room. She approached the desk and knocked on it several times to try and get him out of his own little world. It was only once he finished playing that he gave any attention to her.

He turned around and spoke very quickly. "Alright, baby. You looking for a room?"

Twyla recoiled from the desk at being called "baby". Yeager on the other hand looked like he was going to rip the boy's throat out. If looks could kill, then Yeager's would have sent this teenage boy straight to hell. "Um, yes I am."

"Okay, so we only have a four room shared bedroom open right now. It's cheaper, but you do have to share it with other people. That work, baby?"

Again, Twyla made a slight twitch as she was called "baby" yet again. "That will work fine, and also…" She paused, wanting to receive his full attention. Once he gave it to her, she spoke again. "Please, don't call me "baby"."

"Okay, fine, fine. So, that'll be 100 rupees for the night, sugar."

Both customers gave a sigh, as they realized the red-headed boy would just keep calling her different names along the same lines. Twyla exchanged a few of the rupees she had left for the key that the teenage boy was now holding out for her. "Thanks," she mumbled as she made her way out of the inn to continue her search. When she remembered her search, she turned back to the red-headed teenager. "Hey, by the way, you wouldn't happened to have seen a-" As she turned around to see the young boy return to his lute, she gave up, realizing she probably wouldn't be able to break him out of his own world a second time.

Once she had left the inn, Twyla sulked down onto the bench right outside of the door. A heavy sigh of defeat fell from her lips. 'I don't think we'll ever find him,' she thought suddenly. 'He could be anywhere in this town, anywhere in this realm.' Defeat began to tug at her heart as the reality that she may never find the thief set in.

Yeager mirrored her defeat, but had a feeling of sorrow follow it. He was grief ridden, knowing that, without Twyla's ocarina, he may have to choose between staying with Twyla and being able to fly freely again. As many times before, Twyla comforted the disgruntled bird with the stroke of his wing, knowing exactly what her companion was thinking. Memories flickered through both of their heads of the times they spent together. Times of playing in the fields around Hyrule, scouting out the dark forests of Ordon, and bathing in the water, and sun, by the Ordon Spring. Few things could reinvigorate the crushed team, but these memories did the trick.

A smile tugged at Twyla's face and positive energy once again resounded between the two companions. Feeling up to the task of tracking down the thief again, Twyla pulled out the map of Clock Town. "Alright, it seems there's only one portion of this town left to search." It was West Clock Town, and the map said it was like a bazaar and, besides the market place in South Clock Town, provided most of the goods to the centrally located city. "Let's hope we actually find something this time."

Jumping off the bench, Twyla and Yeager made their way to the last section of Clock Town they had yet to explore. As they passed through South Clock Town and entered the final area, the duo realized that the sun had mostly faded beyond the horizon and night nearly covered the whole of Termina. In West Clock Town was a square that shared the design that every other town square in Clock Town had shown. Two things, however, differentiated this part of the town from the rest: one was the curving pathway that led back towards South Clock Town; two was the massive amount of shops this part of town contained. From bomb shops to lottery tickets, West Clock Town had it all, and this would make the search that much more difficult for Twyla. With a heavy sigh, that seemed to be common today, Twyla began her search.

A couple of hours later, Twyla had finished asking almost all of the shop owners about the thief. None of them had heard of a thief named Aston, nor seen a man with a mask that had gleaming, ruby-like eyes. Though, going into the shops was interesting. Several shops tried to sell her goods she would never use, such as bombs and a shield. However, she did take the opportunity to replenish lost supplies and purchased a red potion, a small amount of food, and a new knapsack to carry her supplies until she found her stolen one. The last of the rupees she had on her person were spent on these necessities.

Another curious thing happened as she left the Trading Post. A scarecrow waved good-bye to her and Yeager and began to dance sporadically, saying he could go like this all night. The first thing that struck Twyla as odd was the talking scarecrow, the second being how the scarecrow could dance. After coming out of her shock, Twyla declined his invitation to join him and exited the small store to question the owner of the last establishment in West Clock Town.

Approaching the door, Twyla read a sign labeled "Curiosity Shop/Open at 10 PM". Seeing that the sun had been gone for well over two hours, Twyla guessed the shop was most likely open. Twisting the knob and receiving a response from it proved her right.

Opening the door, she came into a small room that was hardly decorated, but crammed to the top with boxes of goods and supplies. 'Not a very organized place…' Twyla thought. Ahead of her was a counter that was covered by iron bars with a small opening for transactions placed in the center of the metal grating. Behind it was an older man with skinny, wire framed glasses on his face. He was balding, but a few white hairs still clung to his aging head. A white beard formed around his face and a grey, elderly owl was asleep on a stand next to him, hooting ever so softly as it slept. The new customer approached the counter, hoping that he would have an answer to her questions.

Wearily, though energetically, the man greeted Twyla. "Welcome ta the curiosity shop, madam. How may I help ya on this fine evenin'?" He coughed into a dirty rag as he finished, showing how age had been effecting the elderly man.

Greeting the man warmly, Twyla wasted no time in asking him what she was looking for. "Well, I was wondering if you happened to know anything about a man named Aston, or have seen a man with a black mask that had glowing eyes on it."

"Um, Aston, ya-ya say?" His voice became shaky, but Twyla didn't seem to notice. "Nope never heard of such a man! N-now how 'bout I find ya s-something that would interest ya, eh? P-p-perhaps this 'ere dress!" From behind the counter he pulled out a crummy, dirty, old dress that was of a faded purple and had seen better days. Twyla then noticed the shakiness in his voice and how fast he had changed the subject. He had to know something.

"Are you sure you don't know anything at all about this man?" She pressured the shopkeeper, again.

"N-nope nothin' at all! What about a pretty hat for that p-pretty head?"

"Please, sir. He stole something near and dear to me, and I need back. Any help you can give me would be great, please!"

Ignoring her pleads, the old shopkeeper continued to try and stray her away from the topic. "Oh! These earrings are pretty huh? D-d-don't ya say?"

"Sir! Really! If you know anything, I really need that information!"

"Okay, enough!" It seemed he had it with her questioning as his tone changed from being shaky to being annoyed. "Now I know nothin' of such a man! And if you don't want anything, then I recommend you leave my establishment immediately!" The owl awoke at the old man's outburst and stared curiously at the woman who had cause the easy going man to act like this.

As an awkward silence enveloped the room, the door leading in and out of the shop burst open. "Hey, gramps! I've got a load to sell to you today!" Both shopkeeper and customer turned to see who had entered the shop. "Sorry it took me so long, but I had to outrun this girl and it took me awhile. She was pretty, too bad I won't be seeing her-" The man's sentence was cut short as his red-eyed masked face had just turned to the counter. Twyla and Yeager stared in surprise and anger at the familiar, black cloaked man, while the shopkeeper just hid his face in the palm of his shaking hands. With a sack of what was most likely stolen goods hanging over his shoulder, the thief just stared on. "Oh shit", he mumbled. Then, louder, he said, "Well, gramps, I can see this a bad time. So, I'll be leaving, it was, um… It was nice to see you again, Twyla. See ya!"

Aston bolted out the door, with Twyla right on his heels and Yeager soaring behind his owner. There was no way he was going to escape from her this time. She drew out her bow as she burst onto the street and knocked an arrow on her bow's string, ready to get back what was rightfully hers.

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Two cloaked men loitering outside of the Curiosity Shop had examined the scene. Their backs were against the wall and their faces were covered in shadows. One of them, the more short and portly man, spoke first. "Finally, we found Aston." His voice was deep and bellowing. "Should we get him?"

"Not yet," spoke the taller, lankier figure. "Let him lead us right to his hideout, I'm sure that's where he's going. We'll follow closely in pursuit." A knifing, sly tone covered his words.

"Yes," said the portly man. "Then… BAM! We'll have all the treasure back that he stole from the boss."

"Indeed. This will make him think twice about ever crossing us, again!"

"That is, if he ever gets the chance to cross us again." The deep-voiced man made a slitting throat motion was thumb across his neck.

Both men cackled at what the short man had said. Once they were finished, the men ran after the chase, staying within running distance, but just out of the way as not to be seen by either the girl or Aston. They would have that red-eyed thief pleading for mercy from their boss, soon. They would make sure of it.

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**Phew… Again, finally done with this chapter. I'd noticed that a lot of my chapters had been pretty short, so I decided to make a longer chapter for y'all. Hope this can hold you guys over for a little bit as I begin to write my next chapter! **

**Stay tuned, until next time y'all, peace! Thank ya kindly for reading :)**


	4. Termina Part 2

**Hey y'all!**

**So… Much… Work… So… Much… Writing. Oh man, sorry guys, but I really had to work on this chapter and it was extremely hard, considering most of this chapter is detail. But hey, what can you do when you only have one main character that can talk right now? Well, I hope you guys like this chapter because I put a lot of work into it, and I know it took a while for this to come out, but I have a lot of school work to do. So anyways, review, critique, comment, you know the drill. It helps my writing, also! Enjoy the story, folks!**

**I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters, objects, creatures, etc. Nintendo owns all rights to this franchise**

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**Termina Part 2**

The sun blasted down onto the plains that surrounded Clock Town, as an unusual, early heat wave had just poured over Termina just the day before. Not a cloud was in the sky, and no period of respite from the blistering heat could be seen. This left only Clock Town, the numerous towns around Termina, and water as everyone's temporary escape from the summer-like warmth. Though, most people who were traveling could not participate in such luxuries, as they were stuck with making their way from one sanctuary of shade to the next. Only few outlets could provide a small moment of rest for these travelers. Trees, big rocks, hallowed out tree stumps, places such as these.

Unfortunately for some, these small hideaways made home closer towards the Southern Swamp, Northern Peaks, and the Great Bay regions of Termina. For travelers taking the treacherous, bandit-inhabited road to Ikana Canyon, no such respite existed. As soon as you left Clock Town and began your journey towards Termina's "Land of the Dead", you immediately felt the abundance of warmth and dryness that emitted from the maze-like canyon. Not to mention the eeriness, which permeated the atmosphere around the red land, added to the uncomfortable, unforgiving feel emanating from it. One of the worst places to travel to in all of Termina, and this was the first place, besides Clock Town, Twyla and her companions made their way towards.

Disgruntled by the harsh heat that made her shoulders heavily sag, Twyla slouched tiredly on Amber's saddle. They had only spent a day in the torturous weather, but Twyla still felt like nothing could aid her from dying of dehydration, over exhaustion, or one of the other numerous ways one could die on their travels to Ikana Canyon. Sweat dripped in waves from her body and landed on Amber or fell to the scorching ground, evaporating almost immediately.

As with today, the past couple of days had not been kind to Twyla. First, a thief named Aston stole her knapsack, holding several possessions needed for her journey and most of her rupees. Then, she had to deal the thief that had stolen them in the first place, tracking him down to Ikana Canyon. When she had found the thief, Aston, she made chase all around Clock Town, narrowly missing him several times. Over the course of the chase, Twyla had her bow drawn out and arrow knocked on the string. Though, she didn't fire a single arrow as she hesitated whenever she had a shot, wasting the time needed to hit her target. Only a few guards witnessed the young Ordonian's chase around the town, all of them too groggy to run after the bow drawn woman or the black cloaked man. While the chase after the thief drew on, Yeager made several swipes at his owner's target, causing only a few scratches, but startling his target enough to make him drop a few items, which Twyla quickly picked up as she continued her pursuit.

Eventually, the chase led into the sewer portion of Clock Town, which is where Twyla thought she would be able to corner her quarry. Unfortunately for her, Aston proved more skillful than she realized.

Once Twyla and Yeager had cornered Aston in front of a giant iron grate blocking his exit, they thought they had caught him. When the pursuer tried to convince the masked thief to give up, he waved his hand and said "See ya!" Twyla expected him to use the smoke cloud that he'd used in Lost Woods, so she had backed up and her eyes peeled for him to run past her, ready to catch him. When the archer didn't see the thief dart past her, she told Yeager to clear the smoke away. With a few gusts of his wings, the angered bird cleared the stone passageway quickly. What Twyla saw shocked and angered her. Past the iron grate, she saw the same red eyes that belonged to the man she chased all the way to the underbelly of Clock Town. Somehow, he made it the other side of the iron grate, and out of Twyla's reach.

"Catch ya later!" The final words she heard from the illusive thief rang in her head over and over again as he dashed away into the shadows.

Distraught, disappointed, and, most of all, demoralized, Twyla and Yeager sulked quietly under the bright, full moon to the Stock Pot Inn. Having lost the thief again had made the duo more depressed and lost than they were earlier. It seemed like they might never find the man who had wronged them. Most likely, Twyla had thought, he already made his escape away from this town, joyful at the amount of rupees and the trinkets he had stolen. Adding insult to injury, he'd probably be celebrating and patting himself on the back, happy to have evaded the same target twice.

Once Twyla made it to her room, she collapsed on the only empty bed in the shared room of the inn and set her bag, bow, and quiver under it. Sensing her disappointment, as well as feeling it himself, Yeager nudged his owner, prompting her to not give up. He received a small scratch on his arrow shaped patterning, though she did nothing else, turning back over in her covers and trying to go to sleep. The distressed hawk bowed his head, obeying Twyla's wish to be alone. When his eyes hit the floor, he noticed the pack that the Ordonian had stored under the bed. Peeking out of the flap of the bag, Yeager noticed a small scrap of paper that looked like a map. By letting out a few silent caws, then some louder ones, the now optimistic raptor earned an annoyed glare from Twyla. After getting her attention, Twyla's winged companion pecked at the map that had fallen out of the pack. Quickly, the motion garnered the groggy woman's attention.

Pulling up what Yeager had been gesturing towards, Twyla's mood instantly improved as she picked up the map. The map was crudely drawn on a ripped piece of parchment, but one could easily make out the worn directions that led to, what looked like, a small cave with "The Den" scribbled in messy handwriting above it. 'This must be where he's going', the now rejuvenated woman thought with a smirk forming on her face. 'There's no doubt about it, that's definitely it!' If fatigue didn't take over her whole body, Twyla would have jumped for joy. Instead, she laid her head down as her grin continued to decorate her face and Yeager nestled in as he took his place on the frame of the bed. The next when the duo awoke, they went to the giant clock in the middle of town to retrieve Amber. After finding her horse, which had enjoyed resting in the cool building, the group began their journey to the destination on the map. Now, they found themselves outside of Clock Town on the desert plains traveling towards Ikana Canyon.

As they began to pass through the pathway that led into Ikana Canyon, the heat and dryness of the desert maze reach its climax, making it near unbearable. "There's got to… to be some place to rest…" Even though Amber bore Twyla, the heat still affected all three of the travelers. However, Yeager felt not as succumbed by the heat as the others, as he flew close to the ground. Low enough to still hear Twyla, but high enough to enjoy the cross breeze that came with flying.

Once the group had completely crossed over from Termina Fields into Ikana Canyon, the eeriness of the place followed, enough so to make Yeager land on Twyla's shoulder. He cawed at random intervals, as they rode, and Amber neighed and nearly tossed her rider off of her at some points, both being spooked by something Twyla couldn't see. However, shadows felt like they followed her as she traveled deeper into the canyons. And out of the corner of her eye she would notice small bits of movement, but every time she turned to confront the sneaking shadows, nothing could be seen.

The glooming cliffs that made up the snaky canyon added to eeriness. Only one piece of the sky could be seen through the narrow pathways, and it looked like a river as it peeked through the gaps in the rock. Along the path, old statues dotted the walls and floor of the Ikana Canyon. Long relics of an ancient civilization that had long passed. If Twyla hadn't felt like something haunted this place before, she did now.

Eventually, the group came to a clearing, but passed it by relatively quickly as they had no use for it. A cliff protruded out of the ground in front of Twyla, so no way around that. The path she needed to take went to left, from where she stood. According to the map, which she followed accordingly, an ancient graveyard housing the tortured souls and Royal Family of Ikana laid at the end of the trail. Going there made chills run up and down Twyla's spine, as she hated Poes and stalfos, both of whom used as horror stories during the young Ordonian's childhood.

"We really have no choice, do we?" She questioned Yeager, not expecting a response, as Amber began to trot down the path leading to the dead's final resting place.

The graveyard and the several headstones that greeted the group did not alleviate the fear they all felt deep in their guts. A simple trail laid before them connecting to the pathway that took them to the Ikana Graveyard. Gravestones, mausoleums, and dead, rotting trees dotted the green hills on either side of the dirt trail. Eventually, the trail came to an end at, what looked like, a collapsed bridge, possibly an old army outpost. Why the royalty posted soldiers here in the past, one could only guess, but Twyla assumed it had something to do with the spirits that stalked the graveyard at night.

Even the possibility that her assumption could be right made goose bumps rise all along her body. She shook her head, reassuring herself that Poes and stalfos were part of horror stories told to Twyla at a young age to scare her into good behavior. It seemed to have worked rather well, even into her current age today, but she knew that such things couldn't possibly exist.

Turning her attention away from the nightmares that lurked in the depths of her mind, and returning to the task at hand, Twyla pulled out the map she had looked over several times. Reading over the map again, she concluded that Aston made his home under one of the graves in his so called "Den". But she didn't know which grave. And apparently it could only be open with a certain code, which she didn't know, as well. So, there was only one thing the group could do: hide and play the waiting game.

Looking around the graveyard, Twyla found a suitable gathering of bushes that would serve as a good place to wait for the thief. They made their way behind the bushes and, almost instantly, Twyla collapsed to the ground as she dismounted Amber. Enjoying the new found shade and respite from the sun, Twyla comfortably laid her head down on the grass. Before closing her eyes, she instructed Yeager to keep a look out for the ruby-eyed thief and alert her when he came through the pathway into the graveyard. In acknowledgement, the bird set himself on Amber's saddle and let out a friendly cry. With that, the young woman let her eyes slam shut and her mind drift aimlessly as she began to sleep.

* * *

Twyla woke up hours later, startled by the warning cries of Yeager. Her eyes bolted open and she quickly got to her feet, though still stayed hidden behind the bush. Taking a quick glance towards the sky, the now awake Ordonian saw that a deep blue had covered the land and no light could be seen, as clouds covered the moon and stars. It took her a minute to adjust her eyes to the empty darkness.

While Twyla became more aware in the near pitch black environment, Yeager kept cawing and crying to alert his owner. Her feathered companion should have ended his warning call when Twyla had awoken. She didn't know exactly what caused him to act like this. Amber neighed uncontrollably, her owner noticed for the first time. Both of her companions seemed to be startled by something. Slowly fear began to rise in her chest, as she went to look through the bush to see what bothered the animals so much.

As she reached to peer through the bush, a skull shoved itself through the foliage and looked Twyla in the eyes, causing her to fall back in surprise. A devilish smile appeared on its face as it saw the girl, then it rose out of the bush to full height. Its skeletal body towered over the fallen Ordonian, staring at her with its red, glowing eyes. No sort of clothing covered its bones, save for two pauldrons that looked like they could be part of the skeletal body anyways. Its boney, white hands carried two staggering, iron swords with curved tips, painful to look at, leaving little to the imagination at how painful they could be to someone's body. Twyla nearly froze with fear, knowing what stared down at her now: a stalfos.

The frightened young woman opened her mouth to let out a scream, but the stalfos cut her short as he swung one of his giant swords down at his prey. Quickly, Twyla rolled out of the way to avoid the crushing blow that left a marring hole in the green grass. She lunged towards Amber to grab her bow and quiver. Once she had equipped her weapon, she quickly knocked an arrow onto the string of her bow, only to have to dive out of the reach of the stalfos' massive weapon yet again.

Amber, too panicked and unable to handle the situation, sprinted away from the seen as the same stalfos turned its attention to her. As Twyla screamed after Amber to come back, the skeletal warrior turned its head 180 degrees to face its victim. Its lipless smile and demon-like eyes continued to stare down the young woman. Twyla made a dash out of the patch of bushes with Yeager right behind, finally being able to get a clear view of the graveyard and run away from the haunting skeleton. As she turned her head away from the haunted bushes, she wish she had stayed there and dealt with the stalfos.

Facing the Ikana Graveyard, Twyla made out several figures hidden by shadows with the same glowing eyes as the walking corpse behind her. She picked out about ten pairs of red eyes, but thought that there might be more. All at once, the walking dead turned to face her and many of them began to cackle with evil delight.

Behind her, Twyla could hear the rustling in the bushes, alerting her to the monster that started the panic in the first place. Quickly she turned to face the monster head on, knocking an arrow as she faced the skeleton. Before the stalfos could act, Twyla had already taken aim and released an arrow at it. The arrow stuck itself right in the thin, white bone of the monster's skull, causing its red eyes to dim and for the bones to collapse on to the ground. The young marksman had a small celebration in her head before she turned back to encroaching hoard around her.

As she stared into the field of red eyes that now marched slowly towards her, the fear she originally felt came back to her. Shaking ever so slightly, Twyla knocked another arrow onto her bow and aimed it at another stalfos. While her arrow caused another of the nightmarish creatures to crumble, Yeager began to pick off targets he deemed too close to his owner. He tore the skulls off of the walking skeletons, easily able to since nothing really held a firm connection between the stalfos' neck and its skull. As he did so, the mass of bones instantly collapsed onto itself.

Dodging and running away from the stumbling corpses' swords drained Twyla of her energy quickly and gave her little time to fire at the undead army. Yeager made sure to hold many of them off long enough to give her chance from time to time. Still afraid, but quickly getting into the hang of things, the young Ordonian made shot after shot against several of the stalfos. Eventually the duo had quickly whittled down the group into a couple of shambling skeletons. After knocking one last arrow in her bow, Twyla fired the projectile at the skeleton further from her while Yeager took off the skull of the one closest to the archer. Both fell with a rattling sound and piles of bone laid around the Ikana Graveyard.

Twyla breathed heavily, frozen for a few moments as she came to terms with what just happened. She had never been in combat like that before, of course she had fired at such monsters before with her father when needed, but he helped her with them and he couldn't help her this time. Thoughts raced through her head until she came to the conclusion that, for it being her first time alone, fought well, and her father would be proud. This prompted a small grin to appear on her face.

As she turned to go look for Amber, Twyla's spirit dropped at what she saw. In front of her, the pile of bones, the first stalfos she slew, began to return to its full form. Slowly the bones came back together, forming the reformed skeletal body of the stalfos. Once its body became whole, two evil, red eyes appeared in its skull and it began to let out its signature cackle. Violently, it pulled the arrow out of its head and began making its way to Twyla.

In an effort to end the battle once and for all, the once-again-fearful Ordonian drew an arrow quickly on the revitalized monster. Before she could fire, she heard the shaking and skittering of more bones. When she turned around, all of the stalfos began to return to their full form and started to make their way towards Twyla, as well. As she let loose her arrow, barely hitting the original stalfos in the skull, the young archer drew another arrow back and let it fly just as fast, hitting another one of the revived stalfos.

The monsters were getting closer and closer, and by this time, they knew the young woman's game. More shots were fired from Twyla's bow towards the shambling horde. Most of them were deflected off the grotesque swords the stalfos carried. Others just completely missed, thrown off of their target by the shakiness and fear that ran through Twyla's entire being.

Yeager did his part in distracting and slaying the monsters, but eventually one of the walking corpses caught him and held on to the distressed bird tightly, ignoring the attacks it received from him. Twyla saw this and even more fear fueled her body as the repetitive strategy of dodging, running, and shooting began to take its toll on her body. Many nicked her as well, prompting small cuts to appear all over her being, staining the blue and tan garments that covered her body. The combination of exhaustion and wounds took even more energy out of her than either of them by themselves would. Eventually, it led to a mistake in her strategy.

As Twyla had finished shooting another arrow into the crowd of undead, successfully hitting its target for once even though it wouldn't matter, she let her guard down a moment too long. One of the stalfos managed to sneak up behind her, and she just barely dove out of the way of the sword. Unfortunately for her, she landed right in a corner of the graveyard. With the horde of undead souls closing in on her, she couldn't find an escape where she wouldn't die. She turned to look for an escape route, but the cliff proved too steep and too high to climb out of and nothing could help her reach them. Turning back around to face her doom, Twyla saw Yeager still being held tightly by the same stalfos, prompting him to watch as his master died a brutal death. Above the many stalfos Twyla could hear the once proud bird cry in agony at the situation, knowing he would have to see his owner die and knowing he would die soon after.

'Well,' Twyla thought in her head one last time. 'I didn't think I would die like this.' She dropped her bow, out of arrows and hope, and collapsed onto her knees, scared, defeated, and most of all, alone. She would die alone without anyone there for her and that scared her the most out of anything. The doomed young woman put her face in her hands and silently, she began to cry, tears running down her face and fear coursing through her body like a drug, prompting her to accept her fate. In front of her, she heard the desecrated horde stop walking towards her and looked up to see one of the nightmarish creatures right in front of her with a wicked smile on its face. It brought its sword up, ready to send the young woman to her judgment. Twyla turned her face away, futilely hoping that would lessen the pain. Before the dreadful sword of the stalfos could end her life, however, she heard a deafening explosion

Quickly looking up, she saw the stalfos turn around to see several of its brethren explode into thousands of unrecognizable pieces. Twyla looked behind her executioner and saw that almost half of the stalfos had been vaporized by an explosion of some sorts. Many of the stalfos looked on in confusion as to what had happened, almost all of them blinded by the smoke from what had happened.

Through the smoke and chaos, Twyla could barely make out the stalfos holding Yeager being struck by some sort of projectile, freeing Yeager in the process. Gleefully, he flew out of the smoke towards his owner and onto her shoulder, giving her a cry of relief and joining her in watching the spectacle taking place in front of them. Along the two companions stood the stalfos that almost executed Twyla, staring intently through the smoke and trying to figure out who or what caused all of this to happen. His glowing red, violent eyes had dimmed down, possibly showing that the monster feared what would come out of the smoke, or that he simply studied the slaughter of his kin with keen interest.

In the smoke, sparks could be seen flashing brilliantly. Clangs of metal on metal could also be heard, but the flashes and clangs ended quickly, then began again, then ended, then began. Someone fought the group of stalfos and, from the sound of it, each one fell rather easily.

After minutes of tension and suspense, the smoke finally settled and revealed a multitude of bones scattered around the clearing. None of the bones stood up, all were slightly dug into the dirt and fell where they once stood. In the circle of bones, stood a figure. The black caped figure had its back turned to the stalfos, Twyla, and Yeager. It looked over its shoulder, noticing the executioner and its prisoners. Then, it turned around to face the trio, showing the red eyes of the figures mask. The thief, Aston.

He stood with two steel daggers extending from either arms. The thief waved over at Twyla. "Hey, damsel-in-distress. Need some help?"

A small grin appeared on Twyla's face, but it quickly turned into a scowl. Of course, happiness flowed through her body at the thought of not dying. But being saved by the very thief she wanted to capture? Well, she didn't know how to feel about that. To respond to Aston's rhetorical question, Twyla could only nod.

Seeing her affirmation, the thief sped towards the stalfos in front of Twyla, almost blindly so. Aston brought down the blades just as quickly, nearly embedding the dagger in the stalfos' skull, being deflected by the skeleton's demonized blade just in time. Having blocked its attacker's first move, and surprising him in the process, the stalfos brought up his second blade, only to have it met by its prey's second dagger. For a few seconds, the two opponents stood in a stalemate, no one moving or giving up ground to the other.

Aston broke the draw first. He took his daggers out from under the blades of the stalfos, forcing it to fall forward while the rogue side-stepped to his right out of his enemy's path. His amazing agility allowed him to draw the first blow of the fight by him quickly turning around and bringing his right dagger down on the fiend's bare shoulder, separating its boney from its fleshless torso.

No scream of pain could be heard from the injured monster, but when it got back up and looked at its arm laying on the ground, its stare seemed to grow with anger. Facing Aston, the skinless being let out a war cry that caused Twyla and Yeager to flinch in fear, but it didn't seem to faze Aston. He just stood there, staring down his one armed opponent and beneath his red-eyed mask, the thief smiled at the blow he dealt the stalfos. With rage, the angered skeleton charged towards Aston with its remaining sword held high above its skull.

The rage filling the target in front of him made the battle even easier for Aston. His opponent, now turned prey, charged him multiple times trying to run him through his sword. Every time it did, the thief dodged out of the way like matador twirling a red cape in front of a rampaging bull. Eventually, the sportsman grew tired of the game and decided to end the fight once and for all.

From behind his cloak, Aston produced a crossbow with a curious bolt pulled back onto it. After the angered stalfos charged him one last time, and stood nowhere near Twyla and Yeager, Aston aimed the bow at it not caring where it hit as long as it stuck onto his target. Once it began charging again, Aston fired the shot and rolled out of the way as the doomed creature nearly drove him through. The bolt had embedded itself in one the pauldrons of the stalfos, causing almost no damage. It pulled out the bolt, laughing at the man's attempt to slay it, but he didn't laugh much longer. Once the evil cackling halted, everyone in the graveyard heard a faint 'hsst' coming from the bolt. Looking at the bolt, the stalfos could see the fuse protruding from the explosive head of the projectile. Its hateful eyes turned to its opponent one last time before… BOOM!

Everyone turned their heads as the stalfos fell around them in thousands of pieces, littering the battlefield. Satisfied with his work, Aston turned to Twyla. He walked over to her and extended a hand to pull her up from her seated position. "Heh, well that went pretty well, if I do say so myself!"

A glare came from his former target as she smacked the thief's hand away from her face. She got up and dusted herself, while Yeager eyed the stranger carefully. "Yeah, whatever you say", she responded with a cold tone.

Aston expected this. "Okay, look. I'm sorry for stealing from you, alright? Doesn't this make up for it?"

Twyla still gave Aston a cold, steel gaze. She got up in his face and pointed her finger at him. "Listen! You took everything I needed for my journey, and you expect saving my life so that you can, goddess forbid, steal from me, again, to make up for stealing from me in the first place?!" At this point Twyla began to yell, while Yeager squawked in anger at the now-defensive thief.

"Um… Yeah, pretty much", he said casually. "Oh, minus the stealing-again part", he added in quickly.

Twyla backed down from Aston and put her hand to her head, shaking it. "Unbelievable." After a few seconds she looked back up at Aston, gaze changed from her previous glare. "I know I'm sounding ungrateful and all", she began "but you took some things very important to me, and the fact that you saved my life kind of added insult to injury. I mean, why else would you save my life unless you wanted to steal from me, again?" She asked this question with true curiosity, causing Aston to pause for a minute.

After a few seconds of thinking, Aston spoke. "Alright, I see where you're coming from, but I saw you cornered and I couldn't leave you like that." He brought his hand to his mask, thinking for a second longer. "How about, I give you your stuff back and you don't turn me into the guards, that way we're even. Deal?" He stuck his hand out, hoping it wouldn't smacked away this time.

Though Yeager still bore holes into the thief with his eyes, Twyla reluctantly met his hand with hers. "Fine" she simply said.

Aston sighed with relief. "Phew. Good, I thought for a minute there I'd have to steal your bird and bow, too. Just to be on the safe side." The glare from Twyla returned. "Joking, joking. Now, come on."

Aston began to run away from the battlefield. "Where are you going?" Twyla called after him.

"To my hideout. We need to high-tail it before these bad boys come back to life. I don't have enough bombs for all of them." Twyla looked around and saw that the bones began to rattle and skitter across the ground, showing that the ones he didn't kill would be back to life soon. Twyla looked at Yeager and let out a heavy sigh, following the thief to goddess knows where.

They only jogged to the opposite side of the Ikana Graveyard before Aston stopped. In front of him stood a small, unsuspecting grave. "What are we-" Twyla began to question, but Aston shushed her before she could finish. Earning the scowl from the Ordonian that he couldn't see, Aston played with the small fixtures on the grave, almost in a coded sort of way. After a few seconds, the grave pushed back on its own, revealing a black hole with no end to it in sight.

"Alright," Aston turned to Twyla. "We need to jump down this hole to get to my hideout."

Yeager squawked in fear and Twyla jumped back in surprise. "Are you crazy?! I can't see past the beginning of that hole. For all I know, the jump could kill us."

"True. But one it won't and two" Aston pointed at the horde of stalfos behind Twyla. "Would you rather take your chances with me, or with them?" Leaving the question unanswered, Aston jumped down the black hole.

"WAIT!" Twyla screamed after him, but it proved too late, he had already fallen through the small entrance underground. The young Ordonian stared back at the horde, then let out a heavy sigh that seemed to be a habit as of late. Reluctantly she inched towards the hole in front, staring down it and trying to make out how deep the hole actually went. After a few more seconds of consideration, and the horde almost at Twyla's back, the reluctant woman jumped down the hole, followed by Yeager into an unknown lair, not knowing what would happen down there.

* * *

**I know what you're gonna say, and yes, a lot of description not much dialogue. I promise that will change soon. And I know I kind of hurried this chapter's ending, but I had to release this chapter because I know you guys were craving for more. So, anyways I'll try to get the next chapter ASAP, I promise, but it may be hard.**

**Stay tuned, until next time y'all, peace! Thank ya kindly for reading :)**


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